Chapter 9

Love is complicated.



"You’re going with me to this pack meeting," Kelsie announced two weeks after my initial practise session. Kelsie showed up in the office after five. It looked like she just finished work and she wasn’t planning to leave me alone. I was glad to see her again, but I was exhausted. Last night I was called to Tron’s posh residence for a training session. Tron was right when he mentioned that those sessions were going to be very different from what I was used to. Physically and mentally I was completely drained, but in the past couple of weeks, I learned how to cast a protection spell without even breaking anything around me.
"Pack meeting?" I repeated trying to put through the last bits of payroll. I had an evening shift with my two vampire colleagues. Kate was off for a couple of days, visiting her Witchy convent up North.
"Well, I decided to join this new shifter pack and I don’t want to go alone," Kelsie said fluttering her long eyelashes. I pinched my eyebrows imaging sitting around a large fire where at midnight everyone would start to shift. Yeah, that’s exactly what I thought it was going to look like.
"Kel, darling, first of all, I'm half magical and second of all, I'm not a shifter. I don’t think I would be allowed in," I said trying not to laugh. My best friend rolled her eyes smiling at a vampire client who was watching us from the far corner, probably trying to fill out an application form.
"Nonsense, I can bring anyone I want. Besides, it’s just like a big posh party. No one is going to shift or anything like that."
"Okay, so when and where is it?" I asked, at the same time concentrating on the numbers.
"In some hotel. I don’t remember the name now, but they’re going to serve free drinks and snacks; it’s on Friday night.”
This was definitely what I imagined. Kelsie liked to party, she also changed boyfriends once every month.
"Maybe you should take a shifter. I might have plans with Quentin," I muttered. The vampire who was sitting in the corner had stopped writing altogether now; he was staring at Kelsie, mesmerised. Personally, I found him creepy. Vampires usually weren’t too keen on shifters, but this one didn't seem to mind.
"I called him already. He said that you’re too uptight, and I should take you out," Kelsie said laughing.
"Great, thanks," I replied. "Kel, I really don’t mean to be rude, but I have a ton of work to do and no time for chit chat."
"All right, I'm going to stop being so boring. I’ll pick you up at six, all right?"
"Yep."
Kelsie left, and the vampire looked disappointed. He didn't even finish his application before disappearing after her. I wasn’t that worried about Kel. She knew how to handle men and the vampire didn't stand a chance.
The night rolled on and more vampires than usual strolled into the agency looking for work. We were registering everyone because Lucinda needed a new production staff. Later that night I got an email from Kelsie; she sent me an attachment from an article. My heart started beating faster when I read it; Nathaniel’s wedding plans weren’t going smoothly. The date of the wedding had been moved to July. I didn't finish reading the rest of the article, trying to ignore my racing pulse. Quentin picked me up from work and stayed with me through the night. I was nearly asleep wondering if I was ever going to forget about Nathaniel, when Quentin kissed my neck; he was lying naked next to me. I should’ve been happy that I had a boyfriend who wasn't afraid to commit to me.
"Julia, are you sleeping?" he asked. At first, I wanted to pretend that I was sleeping but I already felt guilty enough thinking about another guy, so I replied:
"No, I can’t for some reason."
He was quiet for a minute or so, and I liked the fact that we shared this closeness. When his mouth found mine again, heat and a soft wave of magic began to flow through my already exhausted body. Quentin’s kiss sent a cold shiver down my spine, his tongue swirled in my mouth before we pulled apart.
"What do you think about moving in together?" he asked all of a sudden. From that moment, I was fully awake and ready to jump out of bed. Quentin was quiet, but his breath was giving him away. My heart rate picked up and I couldn't quite comprehend what he said.
"Move in together, as in together, together?" I asked trying to sound natural, but my voice was giving away the panic I felt inside. Quentin was sweet, and I should have been glad that he was ready to begin a proper relationship with me and move on to the next level.
He laughed kissing my neck.
"What? Do you think it’s too soon? Okay, maybe we just started dating but we’ve got something good going on here," Quentin continued pressing on. My stomach made a small contraction. Despite the fact that I hadn’t introduced Quentin to my mother, I already knew how she would react if she found out.
"No, of course not, it’s a great idea but you can’t expect us to live with Gomez."
"He’s harmless; how about we look for a place to rent together? Your flat is too small, and my house is too far from your work. It’s the perfect solution. If we find something bigger, then Gomez won’t be a problem."
“It's a huge decision, so I need some time to think about it," I said looking away, thinking about my relationship with Nathaniel. He’d never made any kind of effort like that. I only lived in his apartment for a short time because mine had been devastated. I’d deluded myself with the idea of a perfect life with him, but in the end, he moved abroad and came back with a new fiancé.
"Of course, take as much time as you need. We don’t need to rush anything but I'm falling for you," Quentin whispered. I smiled, inhaling his scent. We didn't talk anymore and that night I fell asleep happy, still heartbroken, but happier than I’d been in the past eight months.

***


Kelsie looked hot when she arrived to pick me up on Friday night. Her smoky black hair was all curled up and she was wearing a tight navy dress. In my opinion she was dressed a bit over the top for a pack meeting, but it didn't matter what I thought. Kelsie always intended to have fun.
As far as I knew, any kind of pack meeting was supposed to take place in the forest around a fire where people discussed politics and shifted during a moon.
These days shifters and werewolves met in stylish hotels for drinks and food. Many even brought guests. According to Kelsie, no one was shifting, not in such an urban city like London.
"Is everything all right? You look worried," Kel asked when I got into the taxi. It was a cold night tonight. The temperature was below zero and my best friend wasn't even wearing a coat.
"Quentin asked me if I wanted to move in together," I explained sinking into the seat. Kelsie looked gobsmacked. That was a first, because nothing never shocked her.
"So? You should be happy then. He obviously wants to take this relationship to the next level."
"Are you freaking kidding me? It's too soon. We only just started going out,” I protested, and warm guilt poured into my stomach. I hadn’t been honest with him about my past. I was still in love with Mr. Bastard and that’s why I wasn’t ready for the next step.
“It's about the hot vampire, isn't it? You can’t get away from him and I get it. I really do. We’re all drawn to men who are bad for us, not the ones who are good and kind."
I opened my mouth to say something but, in the end, I kept quiet. There was some truth in her statement. Nathaniel was toxic. All right, the sex was amazing, but we were like oil and water—we didn’t mix well—we damaged each other. Quentin was right for me in every respect.
When the taxi stopped in front of the small boutique hotel my stomach was growling. Kel told me that there would be plenty of food inside, so I didn't make anything for dinner. I kept asking Kelsie if there was going to be any debating about shifter politics, but she acted like she had no idea what I was talking about.
This whole meeting reminded me more of the networking event from a few months ago, where Nathaniel showed up unexpectedly. The events manager, a short troll in her thirties, took me and Kelsie to a room in the back filled with tables. We were given badges with our names near the entrance. Four male shifters were staring at Kelsie while I was being ignored completely.
"We’re having a debate at ten; would you ladies care to join in?" a dark-haired shifter with shimmering gold eyes asked.
"Debate? Maybe. I don’t know if I’ll be sober enough for that," Kelsie muttered giggling. The room was filling up fast mainly with shifters and their partners. I was the only elf there, along with a couple of witches and the troll who was part of the hotel staff.
"Did you do anything like that, you know, with your ex?"
"Yeah, sometimes, but it was more traditional, like it used to be: forest, fire and a lot of random shifting. Paranormals in London are much more civilised, unlike where I'm from," she explained. "Now if you’ll excuse me, I'm heading to the bar. Someone needs to buy me a drink."
"And what exactly am I supposed to do?" I asked folding my arms together.
"Flirt and remove that miserable look off your face. La Caz moved on and you have too. There is no point dwelling on it anymore, darling." She patted me gently on the back before heading to the bar.
Kel was right, and so was Kate. This was just life and I had to stop acting like a winey child and man up.
Throughout the evening I learned that the shifter community had a rich history. There were women and men of various ages and class. I chatted with a couple of paranormals who were active in British parliament. Kelsie was already at the bar flirting with a group of suited and booted handsome guys. Throughout the dinner Kelsie insisted on sitting by me while I listened to the conversation about their run on the local fields.
"My mate, Franklin, was shot the other day. A farmer thought he was after his sheep because he’d shifted into a wolf. What are you going to do about this, Mr. Tramp?" a tall and mean looking male shifter asked. A round of shudders passed through the table. Everyone stopped eating, turning their eyes towards the main table where two politicians were sitting. I had no idea who Mr. Tramp was.
"We should go back to the order from years ago; the pack master would know what to do," someone else announced, who most definitely wasn't Mr. Tramp. Surely, he was a shifter: tall, well built, with amazing blue eyes. All the ladies were staring at him, mesmerised. Kelsie was playing with her hair, shooting him one of her sweet smiles. The male shifters at the tables didn't look very happy with this idea, some of them began talking loudly between each other.
"Who the hell are you? You can’t just come here and throw something like that on the table. We haven't selected a pack master since nineteen-ninety-one and we don’t want to go backwards," the older shifter growled.
"Maybe it’s time for a change. A pack master would bring in some kind of order; the runs could be organised. Many packs in Scotland still follow the directions of a pack master," the stranger argued.
This started a new discussion which I wasn't following. Many older shifters started shouting amongst each other and the atmosphere became heated. This went on for about ten minutes. I tried to focus on my meal, but the main course consisted mainly of almost raw steak and vegetables, so I sort of lost my appetite.
“I'll be right back. I need to make myself look beautiful for that handsome Scot over there," Kelsie whispered, sending a flirtatious wink to the loud shifter who was watching her and at the same time, trying to keep the conversation going.
Kelsie vanished, and I waited patiently for the waiter to bring me another drink. This entire pack was boring, and I already knew that Kelsie only came here to pick up on available shifters. I’d never known anyone who enjoyed partying so much.
For another twenty minutes I chatted with a witch who was attending tonight’s dinner with a shifter about a protection spell that she’d used. It was quite a refreshing experience to meet someone who was in love with another creature outside of her caste. The witch reminded me of my situation with Nathaniel. When my grandmother found out that we broke up, she nearly bought me car. Yeah, my family was pretty happy whereas I behaved like someone had died.
After dessert, I started looking for Kelsie who had yet to come back from the bathroom; it had been at least a good half an hour or so. She could look after herself, but she never took that long in the bathroom. I excused myself and after locating the toilet, I stepped into a long corridor heading towards the ladies’ room. As I was approaching the corner I heard Kelsie’s voice.
"What the fuck do you want from me, Craig? I’ve created a new life for myself, away from you and your stupid pack of puppies."
I stopped, wondering if I heard her correctly. I’d heard that name before; Craig was Kelsie’s ex-boyfriend, the one she’d cheated on.
"Shut your mouth, you stupid whore. London shifters are weak and it’s time to influence them a little. You owe me a favour and you’re going to do exactly as I say."
It was a male voice and he was definitely her ex-boyfriend. Kelsie wasn't a bad person, but she liked men too much and when she was drunk, she turned into a wild cat. From what I understood, their relationship was never prefect.
"Fuck you, I don’t need to listen to your whining. Let go of me," Kel shouted. I swallowed hard, trying to call out my magic the way Tron had taught me. I felt tingling in my stomach, but my energy was weak.
"Shut up, whore!" Craig roared. I didn't know what happened after that, but I heard Kelsie’s short scream, so I didn't have time to think and dashed around the corner.
"Hey, get your hands off her!" I shouted clenching my fists, concentrating on my magic.
Craig looked like a typical shifter, although I didn't want to admit that he was good looking. He was about Quentin’s height with long black hair that hung just over his shoulders. He had a pointed chin and he was dressed in leather, looking like a mean hairy biker. I had no idea how Kelsie was still standing. Her eyes were glowing as she held her cheek staring at me with anger.
Craig narrowed his eyes and pushed Kelsie away.
"Who the fuck is that skinny fairy, Kel?"
"No one, she’s no one important. Tell her to fuck off," Kelsie shouted staring at me like she was ready to strangle me. I had no idea what this was all about, but my best friend was in trouble, and I wasn’t about to just walk away.
Craig smiled and approached me, then I saw his golden eyes that shimmered like two neon lights. He was wide in his shoulders and I felt as new fresh magic started to evaporate from my cells, tensing the air.
"Kel, I don’t know what this is about but leave this psycho and let’s get out of here," I said ignoring Craig who licked his lips and took another step forward.